“When I was born I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half.”

– Allen, Gracie

Today is Rowan’s one-and-a-half birthday! Eighteen months! It doesn’t SOUND like much, does it? In the grand scheme of things eighteen tiny months is only the blink of an eye, but to Ro, it’s been a lifetime! She’s grown and changed more in these months that she will for the rest of her life, and it baffles me to think of her as she was such a short time ago. My littlest beauty is no longer a helpless little baby, but a full-fledged toddler!

Robee has always had her own view of things, and has never hesitated to let everyone (especially me) know when things aren’t up to her standards, but now she has more than enough words to express herself very clearly. Though she still resorts to screaming at me fairly often (a problem that I suspect will only get worse as we approach her second birthday) she can (and does) communicate in full sentences now! Though some of her words are still difficult for those who are not family to understand, most come out clear as a bell. She often has me laughing with the way she phrases things, like the other day when the tv show (Yo, Gabba Gabba) that she was watching went off, she said “MOM! Wharryou DOON!? I want some GABBA! Gabba’s SKUK!” (skuk means STUCK. Which I suppose show’s are when they’ve reached their end). She can count to three, tries to count to eight (one, two, three, four, six, eight!), knows most of her colors most of the time (this depends on her mood, if she doesn’t feel like playing along, all colors become green), all of the animal names and sounds that we’ve taught her, and can name several shapes (circle, star, heart, crescent, and square). Big sister Teagan was also very quick to speak and learn as a tot of this age, but while T readily picked up everything she was taught (shapes, colors, letters), Ro’s knowledge of the English language is very much more practical. Through observation of her daily life, Rowan has gleaned a very comprehensive vocabulary geared to making her wishes known to those around her. And she’s GOOD at it! As a mom, this difference between my two fascinates me. Where T was always very happy to please others, and learned what we taught her to gain a positive reaction from us, Ro seems more interested in making herself heard above the din. She learned how to say things like ‘stop it’ ‘I want some more, quease (quease = please. Not sure if this is a step up or down from her former peeees)’ and ‘I don’t like that,’ far sooner than she learned which color of the spectrum was called red. She’s even started telling us every time her diaper is soiled “Oh NO! POOPIE, mom! Yucky!” Ever practical little Rowan!

Plus she’s damn cute. . . and she knows it!

As I’ve done with her sister for the last few half-days, I gave Ro a quiz. . . she’s a bit young to really answer all of the questions herself, though I did try.

Favorite color: Ro, of course, said ‘GREEN!’ But based on her selections, I’d say it’s either yellow or red

Favorite T.V. Shows: Gabba Gabba still reigns supreme, but Blue’s Clues is a strong challenger for the spot of favorite. She also likes Sesame Street (specifically Elmo’s World), Wonder Pets, and Pingu – She asks for shows by name, and will not allow substitutions for the show that she has chosen.

Favorite wild animal: Pandas, of course!

Favorite domestic animal: Ro says: “PUPPIES!” Ro is currently obsessed with dogs, though last year at this time it was kitties all the way! She also really likes bunnies (they ‘say’ hip-hop)

Favorite drink: milk, milk, milk! Ro likes apple juice, too, but if given the choice goes for milk every time. She does NOT like it when we dare to flavor her milk with chocolate or strawberry syrup (which we’ve only done a couple of times at T’s insistence), and turns her nose up at cocoa. Crazy kid!

Favorite fruit: Strawberries! Ro says: “Staw-bay-yays” or “Staw-bees,” for short, but she’s also obsessed with apples (she says this word perfectly) and grapes (which she also considers to be an odd form of staw-bees). She won’t touch a banana at the moment, though last year they were her favorite.

What things are you BAD at?: *asking Teagan for advice again, T says “She’s really bad at listening sometimes, and bad about coloring ONLY on PAPER! (I agree, as do my poor walls).

What makes you angry: *asking Teagan’s opinion, T says “Rowan gets really angry when I don’t let her play with my toys, and when you tell her ‘NO!'”

What makes you sad: *asking Teagan for advice here, T says “Ro gets really sad when she has a boo-boo, or when I have a boo-boo, and she kisses it… or when she drops her crayon”

What makes you feel heroic?: Rowan feels heroic when she climbs up on top of things, throws her little arms in the air, grins, and shouts “TADA! I DID IT!” This usually refers to the Rainbow Road, the big girl slide fort, and various outdoor patio furniture.

Favorite toys: Ro is madly in love with the Muno doll she won at this year’s state fair, and the Brobee and Foofa toys that go along with it. She also loves all puppy toys, be they plastic, wooden, or plush (Violet is included here), T’s kitchen set and doll house, and the small plush critters that match her room and sit under her lamp.

Favorite games: Chasing, dancing, and playing with Teagan is Ro’s favorite thing to do. Also, coloring with markers, crayons, pens, or chalk – she can do this for hours, but she doesn’t like to color alone, she always wants me to draw the things that she demands and then she’ll fill them in with scribbles. Coloring books and Teagans don’t count. It HAS to be mommy – unless walls are involved. Or floors. Painting is pretty high on her list, too. One of her favorite things games right now is the listening game. She says “Wissen!” and cups her little hand somewhere vaguely around the vicinity of her ear, then says “Do you hear eet? A noise? Whassat sound?!” We then identify the source of the sound and go for round two. . .

Favorite books: Rowan is obsessed with books. She has dozens, and loves them all. Her favorites are still touch-and-feel or lift-the-flap books, Karen Katz is our hero! Such classics as Brown bear, Brown Bear What do you see? (Bill Jr Martin and Eric Carle) is high up on her list of faves. And of course Good Night Moon (Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd) and Good Night (Melanie Mitchell) is our her list at bedtime, and she REALLY loves the Wild Animal Baby magazines that her Uncle Gabey got her for her birthday.

FooFoosaid,

Loved hearing about what Ro says, those are amazing little sentences she comes up with. Especially the “Wissen” monologue, that’s just too cute for words. Your girls are so advanced… my goodness, Ro is ONLY 18 mos! How in the world do you get ink pen off the wall?
Ro looks like such a vibrant little girl in these pics. Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Mesaid,

Magic Erasers, in my opinion, are truly magical. And to get pen off of fabric, hairspray is miraculous. . . but to be honest, I’m trying not to worry too much about it right now. There are THREE under three in my house at the moment, and they’ve got me beaten to a point that I’m content to plan a paint-job once they figure things out (the walls need one anyway). Rowan has gotten MUCH better about it within the last week or two. Coloring is seriously her FAVORITE thing to do, so the whole paper thing is starting to sink in – finally!